The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering a recommendation by an advisory panel, that the so-called "morning after" pill be sold over-the-counter, rather than by prescription-only, which is the current policy.

The "morning-after" pill, marketed as an "emergency contraceptive" named Plan B, acts to prevent a newly-conceived human being from attaching to the wall of his motherís uterus so that, lacking nourishment, he will die and be sloughed in a very early abortion.

While its proponents claim the drug can delay the release of an egg into the fallopian tube and prevent conception from taking place, the fact remains that the primary mode of action of the "morning after" pill places newly conceived human beingsí lives at risk.

Who is going to notify the girls and women buying the drug that it has the potential to kill a baby? Plan B is being marketed as a "contraceptive," its name implying failure of "plan A," such as a condom or some other contraceptive device. While it is true that many people approve of contraception, a vast majority would not seek an abortion, yet Plan B could cause one.

The issue of liability arises when you consider the potential consequences of the use and/or abuse of Plan B. What serious health and safety issues are involved for a still-developing minor who ingests the drug, once or twice or many, many times? The issues of statutory rape and sexual child abuse come to mind, as well. After all, our sources tell us that the "morning after" pill is currently being sold over-the-counter in Thailand, and the majority of people buying it are men. Yes, men who are possibly sex-offenders  perpetrators of incest and rape.

News reports point out that FDA approval of over-the-counter sales of Plan B could result in the drug being sold off-the-shelf, along with aspirin, cold remedies and ant-acid products. Are drug stores and super markets that sell over-the-counter drugs prepared for the law suits that could ensue when women and girls who purchase the drugs contract one of many sexually-transmitted diseases, some of which are incurable, because Plan B offers no protection against infection? What about the woman who, thinking she had purchased a contraceptive, comes to realize that she took a drug that may have resulted in the death of her baby? Consider the girl under 18 years of age who, in purchasing the drug reveals that she is sexually active and as such, a possible victim of child sexual abuse or statutory rape. Should stores secure proper identification before selling the drug to a minor, as they would for the sale of alcohol or tobacco?

FDA approval of over-the-counter sale of Plan B or the "morning after" pill raises an abundance of moral, ethical, legal and health problems. The drug received approval for sale by prescription-only during the Clinton administration. The Bush administration has not made an effort to reverse this policy. President Bush is in a position to make these problems go away. He should instruct the FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan to reject the advisory panelís recommendation and begin the process of review, so that FDA approval of the sale of the "morning after" pill is withdrawn without delay.

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